Russia’s Presidential Spokesman Dmitry Peskov has declared that NATO is already “de facto” at war with Russia, arguing that the alliance’s direct and indirect support for Ukraine makes it an active participant in the conflict. Responding to recent statements from Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski who asserted that NATO is not at war with Moscow—Peskov said, “NATO is at war with Russia … It’s evident, and it doesn’t need any additional confirmation.”
The Kremlin insists that supplying weapons, military training, intelligence, and other aid to Kyiv amounts to both “direct and indirect” involvement, which in Russia’s view crosses the threshold into warfare. Peskov also said these actions are sufficient proof, and that NATO’s official denials are irrelevant in light of what Moscow perceives as concrete support and engagement.
The claim comes as tensions intensify along NATO’s eastern flank. There have been recent drone incursions into NATO member countries (notably Poland and Romania), prompting NATO to increase readiness and issue condemnations, while Moscow deems many of these incidents part of what it calls an expanding theater of conflict. Polish and Romanian authorities have lodged formal protests over violations of their airspace, and NATO has scrambled jets in response.
NATO and Western officials have not accepted Russia’s characterization. From their standpoint, NATO member states are not engaged in combat operations against Russia; rather, their role is providing support to Ukraine under defensive and political frameworks. They view drone or airspace violations as points of tension and escalation, but not as evidence that NATO is formally at war with Russia.
